Water heater



May 11, 19:43.

L... i. ALDRICH WATER HEATER Fi-led Feb. 24, 1941 Patented May 11, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 122mm 7 Loyd I. Aldrich, Wyoming, Ill. 7 Application 21:13:: No. 380,299 v My invention relates to a water heater, particularly one for heating domestic hot water in a vertical type boiler.

One object of the invention is to provide a domestic water coil which is readily renewable and installable relative to a vertical flue type of boiler in such manner that the coil has considerable volume and extends throughout aconsiderable extent of the space within the boiler.

Another object is to provide a water heating tube in the form of a coil which may be rotated during installation so as to surround the flues of a boiler and which requires only a relatively narrow arcuate slot for insertion of the coil into installed position.

Another object is to provide a coil which may be inexpensively formed of copper or Monel metal tubing, or the like, and so wound and arranged that it may be installed in a successive manner throughout its length without its installation being interfered with by the flues of the boiler.

A further object is to provide a coil which is initially anchored to a cover plate for an opening in the tank of the boiler and which is installed by inserting the coil through the opening and finally securing the cover plate in position over the opening, with a gasket interposed between the cover plate and the water tank.

Other objects, purposes and characteristic fea-- tures of the present invention will be in part obvious from the accompanying drawing and in part pointed out as the description of the invention progresses. In describing the invention in detail, reference will be made to the accompanying drawing in which like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in whiching flues l3 extend upwardly from the combustion chamber l2, through the end member ID and communicate with a chamber i4 adapted to convey the exhaust gases to a stack i5.

My domestic hot water heating coil is indicated generally at C and comprises an inlet tube i6 and an outlet tube H. The tubes l6 and il may be made of copper tubing or the like and constitute a doubled cell by brazing or otherwise suitably securing a U fitting Id at their lower ends. The tubes i6 and H are wound in the form of a coil of the desired diameter, the coil having its windings initially close together for compactness in shipping, as illustrated in the nuts 26 for connecting them with fittings, on

Figure l is a vertical partially sectional view through a water heater embodying my invention: Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view of a portion of the boiler. howing the manner of installing my water 4 chamber it with which a suitable oil burner or a cold water inlet pipe 26 and a hot water outlet pipe 27, respectively. Obviously, any other type of connection may be made at these points.

The. cover plate i9 is provided for an arcuate slot 28 in the end plate lb of the tank '1'. It may be secured thereto as by cap screws 29 and sealed relative thereto as by a gasket 39. In this manner the cover plate is removable for replacing the coil 0, as will hereinafter appear. The tubes i8 and H of the coil C may be secured together as by brazing at spaced points, indicated at 3!.

The coil is installed in the manner shown in Figure 3. The lower end of the coil is opened up sufiiciently to permit insertion of the return fitting i8 through the arcuate slot 28, and thereafter the coil C may be rotated clockwise and it will assume a position in the tank T surrounding the tubes l3 as it is installed, as indicated by the arrows 3 I in Figure 3. The final position of the coil C will be as illustrated in Figure 1 when it is 5 filled with water for operation.

It is thus obvious that the coil'C may be readily installed initially after the entire assembly of tank '1, combustion chamber i2 and heating flues l3 has been fabricated as by welding or the like. Subsequently the coil C may be removed and replaced with another one after the tank '1 has been installed in an outer casing 32 with the usual insulating material 33 surrounding the tank. The casing 32 has a top member 34, which of the like (not shown) may be associated. Heatcourse could be provided with a suitable removable cover plate 35 to gain access to the cover plate It.

The formation of the tubes l8 and I! into a coil permits ready installation of the coil without having to open the entire end In of the tank -'I'. The space between the tube l3 and the tank T and also between the combustion chamber l2 and the tank T and between the tubes themselves, is filled with a heat conducting medium 86, such as water containing a rust inhibiter which prevents rust from attacking the steel of the tank, combustion chamber and tube. The water 36 serves as a heat conductor from the combustion chamber and flues to the coil C and, due to the rust inhiblter contained in it, prevents any tendency of the outside of the tubes l6 and II to rust if made of a metal containing iron or steel.

While I have shown a particular embodiment of my invention, it will be understood of course that I do not wish to be limited thereto since many modifications may be made, and I therefore contemplate by the claims appended hereto to cover any such modifications or substitutions of mechanical equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention without sacridoing any of its advantages.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States:

1. In a water heater, a vertically disposed water tank, vertically disposed heating fiues therein, a water coil surrounding said fiues, said coil having a formation doubled back on itself, an arcuate slot in the top end of said water tank at a distance from the center greater than that of the outermost heating flue permitting reception of said coil by a rotating movement to dispose the coil in a position surrounding said fiues and spaced therefrom, a cover plate for said slot having water-tight connection with said tank adjacent and surrounding said slot, said water coil adjacent its terminal ends being sealed relative to said cover plate.

2. In a water heater, a water tank, heating flues extending longitudinally thereof, a water coil doubled back upon itself and wound around said flues, a slot in the end of said water tank between the periphery thereof and the outermost flue permitting reception of the doubled end of said coil for introduction of the coil to its final position by rotating it around said flues, a cover plate for said slot having a water-tight connecter-tight connection with said tank adjacent and surrounding said slot, said water cell being carried by said cover plate.

4. In a water heater, a vertically disposed water tank, vertically disposed heating flues therein, a looped water coil surrounding saidflues, the two stretches of said coil being connected together at spaced points alongthe coil, an arcuate slot in the end of said water tank located between the periphery thereof and the portion occupied by the fiues permitting reception of said coil by a rotating movement to dispose the coil in a position surrounding said flues, a cover plate for said slot overlapping the edge thereof, said cover plate being bolted to said tank end adJacent said slot with a gasket interposed between the cover plate and the tank end, a, pairof fittings in said cover plate, the two stretches of said coil adjacent the terminal ends thereof extending through said fittings, packed connections between said fittings and said stretches of said coil, and fittings on the terminal ends of said coils for connecting them with inlet and outlet water pipes.

5. A device of the class described comprising a tank, heating fiues therein, a looped helical water coil positioned in said tank to surround said flues, an arcuate opening in the end of said tank extending only part way around permitting reception of said coll therethrough and into the tank adjacent said flues, an arcuate cover plate for said opening and bolted to said tank end adjacent the opening with a gasket interposed between the cover plate and the tank end, a pairof fitt s in said cover plate, the two st etc es of a coil adjacent the terminal ends thereof extending through said fittings, and packed connections between said fittings and said stretches of said coil.

6. In a water heater, a tank, a group of heating fiues therein, a helical water coil surrounding said flues, an opening in a wall of said water tank adjacent one end of said group of flues and permitting reception of said coil to a position for surrounding said group of fiues by rotation of said tion with said tank, said water coil adjacent its i heating flues therein, a coiled water conducting tube surrounding said flues, an arcuate slot extending only part way around the end of said tending through said fittings and being sealed relative thereto, and fittings on the terminal ends 2 of said coils for connecting them with inlet and 2 outlet water pipes.

LOYD I. ALDRICH. 

